Breast milk has numerous nutritional advantages as it contains the proper balance of amino acids, sugars and fats for the human baby, as well as vitamins, enzymes, and minerals that are best suited for the baby's intestinal tract and aid in digestion. Breast-fed babies have reduced risk of infection as the breast milk contains infection-fighting antibodies. Furthermore, the high cholesterol content in breast milk promotes brain growth in the baby. In addition to these health benefits, breast-feeding is the least expensive way of feeding the baby.
Despite the various advantages of breastfeeding, new mothers may still be unsure whether or not to breastfeed their baby. Issues such as discomfort, damage to the nipple, insufficient milk supplied to the baby and mastitis concern many new mothers when considering whether to breastfeed. Many of these issues can be remedied by proper placement of the baby relative to the mother's nipple. This proper positioning is referred to as “latch-on.” In general, proper latch-on is achieved when the mother's nipple is elongated and deep enough in the baby's mouth to reach the baby's soft palate. The soft palate is located behind the hard palate, which in turn is located behind the gums. Since the location of soft palate is quite deep in the baby's mouth, it is difficult for some mothers to position the baby to achieve proper latch-on. However, proper latch-on is necessary to optimize the breast milk drawn by the baby and to avoid undue pain, discomfort and injury to the mother.
Accordingly, to address expectant mothers' myriad concerns and to teach proper latch-on, lactation consultants assist mothers by preparing them for breastfeeding and providing counsel on medical issues and other concerns that can arise in the course of breastfeeding a baby.
Methods exist that assess the quality of breast-feeding. For example, U.S. Patent Application US20080108882A1 discloses methods of assessing the health of a breastfeeding relationship that include clinical assessment. In another example, U.S. Patent Application US20080077042A1 discloses a method for quantifying breastfeeding between a mother and a baby. In another example, U.S. Patent Application US20080077040A1 discloses another method for quantifying breastfeeding between a mother and a baby. In another example, U.S. Patent Application US20080097169A1 discloses another method for quantifying breastfeeding between a mother and a baby. In another example, WO2008034194A9 discloses a method of assessing breastfeeding. In another example, WO2009093238A1 discloses a method of monitoring amount of milk consumed by an infant being breastfed by a breast, comprising determining variations in electric capacitance of the breast during breastfeeding, and correlating said electric capacitance variations to an amount of milk consumed by the infant. In another example, WO2008026088A1 discloses another method for quantifying breastfeeding between a mother and a baby.
Similarly, devices exist that provide assistance during breastfeeding. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,336 B1 discloses a compression device for use in helping a woman breastfeed an infant.
While these may be important in ascertaining the overall health of an infant, the impact of breastfeeding on an infant's health, or assisting the mother while breastfeeding, these references do not provide a means to teach the proper breast-feeding technique.
The use of dolls in the shape of patients is well known in the field of medical education and training. For example, dolls have long been used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training to assist trainees in learning the proper techniques in administering CPR. CPR trainees can press on the doll's chest and blow air into the doll's mouth to fill the doll's artificial lungs with air, and the dolls provide life-like responses to the trainee's actions.
A breastfeeding training doll can provide an effective means for lactation consultants to demonstrate proper latch-on positioning of the baby to expectant mothers. However, while the use of dolls in the shape of patients is well known in the field of medical education and training and devices that are capable of simulating biological functions, including the separate biological functions that may be associated with breastfeeding, such as suckling, for example, a device combining all the biological functions associated with breastfeeding does not currently exist.
Devices that are capable of expressing fluids, such as, for example, breast milk, from breasts are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,101,350 B2 discloses a breast cup for placing around a nipple and an areola area on a woman's breast, said breast cup being in the form of a truncated cone with a conical part and an approximately cylindrical part by the conical part of the cone, said cylindrical part of the breast cup forming first and second stimulating means that simulate the sucking and palate/tongue, respectively, of a breastfeeding child, and said conical part of the breast cup forming a third stimulating means that simulates the lips/jaws of a breastfeeding child.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,513 B1 discloses a pump having compression, suction, and heat adapted to optimize noninvasive extraction of intraductal breast fluid.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,262 A discloses a breast pump including a vacuum pump, vacuum hose, collection container, and a milk pumping flange for application to a woman's breast for removing milk from the breast.
In another example, U.S. Patent Application US20070210235A1 discloses a suction-based holder, comprising: a suction portion having a housing and a suction interface, the suction interface having an inner face and an outer face, wherein portions of the inner face of the suction interface are associated with the housing; a receptacle portion having a receiving channel defined therein; and a connector portion connecting the suction portion and the receptacle portion.
In another example, U.S. Patent Application US20050234370A1 discloses a system for expressing milk from a human breast, comprising: a control system adapted to be worn by a user; a massaging means adapted to be located posterior to the areola; an expression means adapted to be located in the vicinity of the areola; and containment means adapted to contain the expressed milk.
In another example, U.S. Patent Application US20030153869A1 discloses a breast cup for placing around a nipple and an areola area on a woman's breast, which breast cup is in form of a truncated cone with an approximately cylindrical portion by the truncated part of the cone, which cylindrical part of the breast cup forms first and second stimulating means that simulate the sucking and palate/tongue, respectively, of a breastfeeding child, and the conical part of the breast cup forms a third stimulating means that simulates the lips/jaws of a breastfeeding child.
In another example, U.S. Patent Application US20020193731A1 discloses a portable, hands-free and visually friendly breast pump for facilitating breast-pumping.
In another example, WO2009134274A1 discloses compact and hands-free human breast milk collection device that fits into a mother's existing nursing or standard brassiere.
In another example, WO2004026368A2 discloses a system for expressing milk from a human breast, comprising: a control system adapted to be worn by a user; a massaging means adapted to be located posterior to the areola; an expression means adapted to be located in the vicinity of the areola; and containment means adapted to contain the expressed milk.
Devices that simulate nipples are known. For example, U.S. Patent Application US20020139767A1 discloses a sipping lid for baby bottles.
In another example, U.S. Patent Application US20020063103A1 discloses a nursing bottle nipple for insertion past the lips of an infant and into the infant's mouth.
Anatomical training dolls are known. For example, the manikin disclosed in the publication located at http://www.laerdal.com/doc/42020286/Newborn-Anne.html discloses a manikin designed for skills training in neonatal resuscitation.
However, relatively few such training dolls have been developed to assist lactation consultants in their work. Artificial babies, such as the Lactessa™ doll are available to demonstrate the proper position for holding a baby. The Lactessa™ doll also allows a user to feel in the doll's mouth with her finger to determine the location of the hard and soft palate in the doll's mouth.
Also available is the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,977. This reference discloses a breast-feeding trainer . . . to be worn over clothing in the teaching of nursing techniques. The patent claims “a breast-feeding trainer comprising a lightweight simulated human female breast having a simulated human nipple, and support means for positioning the simulated breast on the chest of a human wearer, said nipple being oriented for access thereto during breast-feeding training without removal of said support means by the human wearer.”
Also available is the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,351 A. This reference discloses a training doll for prospective mothers, sisters, child attendants and the like is provided which includes a life-like torso having the approximate weight, size and appearance of a baby, preferably a newborn infant.
Also available is the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,337 A. This reference discloses a breast feeding doll set comprising a mother doll having simulated breasts, first fastening means secured to the tip of each breast, a baby doll having a head and second fastening means secured to the head at the location of the mouth, said first and second fastening means being complimentary to each other for securing the baby doll to the mother doll in a simulated breast feeding operation and means for maintaining the arms of the mother doll in holding relation with respect to the baby doll.
Also available are toy doll sets such as the Bebe Gloton/THE BREAST MILK BABY®, a toy simulated breast milk feeding baby that does not require actual suction or latch-on but merely proximity to a pre-defined sensor in order to signify breast feeding, disclosed in the website located at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1204486/Meet-Beb/index.html, that are intended for children, consisting of a doll and chest piece. The Bebe Gloton/THE BREAST MILK BABY® system provides a doll that reacts by producing mouth sucking motions and sounds when the mouth of the doll is in proximity to the chest piece.
Also available is the doll disclosed in U.S. Patent Application US20090233518A1. This reference discloses an interactive toy doll where the doll interacts with the user by reacting to its own orientation and to pressure applied to its body or mouth . . . . The doll can be fed by placing a toy bottle in the doll's mouth. The doll will then react by making sounds of a baby sucking on a bottle. After a set period of time in which the doll has not been fed, the doll will emit crying sounds, as if the doll is hungry.
Also available is the device disclosed in U.S. Design Patent D576283S1.
However, these references do not provide feedback on whether the user is correctly positioning the doll for latch-on, nor do they interact directly with the user's own breast, nor do they provide an effective means to teach proper breast-feeding techniques.
Thus, the need exists for a breastfeeding training doll that will allow expectant mothers to practice breastfeeding and provides feedback to indicate when the baby achieves a successful latch onto the breast.